Ikea 's Supply Chain Analysis

The Supply Chain Management System used at Lowe’s is a collaboration process. According to LeRoy Allen, Senior Vice President of Logistics for Lowe's Companies, as cited by Real Results Magazine (2012), Lowe’s has more than 3,000 suppliers and having effective communication with all of them is difficult. Providing them with key information helps them, not only run their own business but assists Lowe’s in running theirs. This model was designed to efficiently run the supply chain together (para. 2).

Westminster Company is a giant Global manufacturer of health products whose brand has been recognized by the world. As the company they have three different operations which produce and distribute different product lines. Their main strategy on which they are working and which is a major success for them is decentralized management. Now they are re-evaluating their traditional supply chain strategy because the company is getting too much pressure from their large domestic’s customers and global customers. Now the company has to study on

IKEA’s social responsibility and sustainability is continuing to grow and progress according to Chief Sustainability Officer, Steve Howard. IKEA wants their business to have a positive impact on the world so they have implemented a strategy called the People & Planet Positive strategy which focuses on 3 areas (IKEA Group, 2014). The first area of focus is to get customers on board with living a more sustainable life at home

A supply chain is very important to an organization. It can and should show the relationship between suppliers, distributors, managers and consumers. This paper would detail how important suppliers and distributions are to an organization’s success. And how important a supply chain is within an organization and how managers can utilize the supply chain. It is important that companies such as Target Corporations utilize the supply chain and gain competitive advantages. Target is one of the world’s largest retail stores; the first Target was opened in 1962 in Roseville, Minnesota (Target.com). By the end of 1962 there were only four Target and they were all operated in Minnesota.

The current supply chain used between Riordan’s China location and the local Chinese company is the responsive supply chain process. One of the features of a responsive supply chain is that companies use a build-to-order and mass customization process as a means to meet customer specification requirements. The local Chinese company is a make-to-stock operation and future demands for fans are forecasted based on previous three years sales. They use this method in hopes that previous sales history will repeat itself without any significant changes.

This papers purpose is to give an example of the benefits and how the supply chain works by taking a look at the Target Corporation’s supply chain. Target is one of the largest retail chains in the US; they first opened in 1962 in the state of Minnesota. It started out as a family- run (The Dayton Family) department store. After company growth the family started looking for ways to expand. Today Target total sales ad diluted earnings per share reached new highs of $72.0 billion and $4.52, respectively. They invested $3.3 billion of capital in our U.S. and Canadian businesses, and they returned over $2.7 billion tour shareholders through share repurchase and dividend payments. Their full-year results were right on

Global sourcing is an important sourcing strategy for IKEA Company. According to Hultman, Hertz and Johnsen (2012), in 2008, IKEA has 54 different sourcing countries and 30 purchasing departments which were located all over the world. With the expansion of its market, IKEA was not satisfied with selling its product only in domestic and Nordic market instead it put its higher goal in global market. Therefore the sourcing market also expanded with the growing market. There were 64% of its products were sourced from European countries which were mainly in eastern part like Czechoslovakia, Rumania and Hungary; China with a 22% share of the supply was the largest single supply market, and Poland with a 16% share (IKEA 2007). However, IKEA also trades off the cost of raw materials and cost of transportation, hence IKEA combined the Global sourcing with local sourcing strategy to lower the total cost.

Strategic alliances could reduce the complexity of logistics if IKEA is able to find a reliable partner in this field.

The case I will analyze and discuss in this case study is “IKEA’s Global Sourcing Challenge: Indian Rugs and Child Labor”. I will begin with the vision, values, and strategy of IKEA and an internal analysis of the issues that they have faced as of the time of the case. Next, I will detail the issues IKEA faced in the years prior to the Indian rugs and child labor challenge. Then I will describe the Indian rug and child labor problem that IKEA faced

Supply chains are an integral part of global quality and cost management initiative, because a typical company’s supply chain cost can represent more than 50% of assets and more than 80% of revenues. (Ball, 2010), in other word, the ABC, Inc should reduce the inventory of chain supply to reduce the cost. In order to do that the Board of Directors of ABC Inc. has to expresses reconsiderations for management across business functions in supply chain management. Managing the flow of raw materials, supplies as well as finished products are equally important as the management

Growth plans and opportunities. Presently, IKEA aims to open 10-20 new retail outlets annually, with forecast of double sales target in a timeframe of five years. These targets can be accomplished through strict control functions and monitoring of inventories to ensure keeping costs at the minimum (Kelly, 2010, p. 3). In fact, in spite of inflation rate and rising cost of raw materials and fuel, IKEA has managed to reduce its average costs by 0.8% in FY2012 (“IKEA Group,” cited in “Strategic Supply,” 2013, p. 4).

We believe what is good for society is good for IKEA. We are passionate about creating a successful business where we act in a responsible way through small and large actions. It is a way of being. This is why sustainability is a cornerstone in the IKEA strategic direction – it is highly prioritized and serves as a driver of further innovation and development. Economizing with resource, finding new ways of doing things and developing our knowledge and expertise are important parts of our business idea and heritage. A low price company must be a low cost company, and this includes being careful with earth’s limited resources. IKEA has unique capabilities and tremendous enthusiasm to make a positive contribution across the world – from the forests of Siberia to the cotton fields of India and all the way into people’s homes in New York, Lisbon and Shanghai. Our customers rightly expect us to not only to make our products in a responsible way, but also to help them live more sustainable

In this business report on the global retail business IKEA, it will cover the nature of business, influences on operations, operation processes, operation strategies and how the business can sustain competitive advantage. IKEA was founded in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad in Älmhult, Sweden. The business established after and with the money his father awarded him for succeeding in his studies, Kamprad sustained a cash inflow by selling pens, wallets, watches, picture frames, table runners, jewellery and nylon stockings at reduced prices to customers. Although, later on in 1958, IKEA was introduced as a leader of Swedish Furniture Company as they started to produce local furniture by the Swedish local manufacturers, which gained positive attention from their customers. Eventually, developing flat packs of furniture for storage and self assembly, making their signature style of IKEA and turning the small business into a global sensation.

4. What is IKEA’s strategy toward suppliers? How important is this strategy to IKEA’s success?

2. The reason of why distribution is such a key element of IKEA’s value chain.. 2